Image and text provided by State Historical Society of Missouri; Columbia, MO

i' rjTHE ASSOCIATEDSANTA CLAUSB CM RLt S KRHOKRIC GILLIAMEIJ.o, Georce, what's the matterwi'h you?" asked Will James.v i utui .iiiiiijsiiu iejtiei iiiifhis office in one of the skyscrapers,an' v-ir.k wearily into a ( hair.I m char fagged out." was thereply. ' In you know, this Christmasbusim s is something awful?""J.iines laughed. "Are you findingthat out for the first time?"' No, hut It seems worse than usualthis time. It appears tha my folkshaw marly every little thing theyneed, ami. when I find noun' particulart h i i g thai strikes my fancy, it costsho much, hy the time I even up allaround. I can't affonl II ""Wi 11. if misery loves company,you've got plenty of it. We're all influ- same box. 1 confess !t strains moJoy Over a Cherished Toy.So l La:it laki all the plea-are awayfromoi. ..flllll '' 1to ;n t ior f.th'; pi vine,. because the exits really preatc.- than I inn af-i'ai's it exactly. It wouldn't be.J !f the gifts were restricted too family, hut some ivla'ivecl ni'iKi-i suie of the familya i-r-lit-nt aud It hah to be int-t inkin.I. or wvh something a little better, in order to relieve ouv'o self ofih. t.i'i:.v of obligation. If thesepr nts were all dictated by affection, a fellow wouldn't object to making considerable sacrifices, but whenlaigo proportion are merely for thai9purpose of keeping even, it's a horseof another color.""Vcs. and our most expensive presents go to those who are better fixedfinancially than ourselves, and whohave the least need for them. Why,Just last week one of my nieces, whois in very modi-rate circumstances,and of whom 1 think a cood deal, wasmarried, and wo sent her a piece ofplaled silverware that cost four dollars. At the same time we sent MisslicForrcst for her wedding present ai iit class dish that cost $13. and t-he'dhardly recognize us if we met her onthe strict."'lm Klad you told me that. Will.I had a sort of a sneaking id u thatI wa.s abc.ut the MRsst fol in townin that direction, but I (iiiess youand your family and 1 and my familyand everybody else and his family!:re all In the same boat. Hut what'sto be done? Can't make a declaration of independence? My wife andI make resolves i very year, but wtkcp stretchiiiK the limit a littie, nntil by the time we get thrutiKh thelist we find we have sent more thar.the preceding year."'I'm with you on two thin'.1tieore; that is. that we eeonoiiiizisome on our expenditures, and thatwhat we do spend shall be in a wayto brini; most enjoyment to ourselves,by Kivins the most enjoyment to othe:s. Lei's trive, what we uive outside our own families, to those whoneed it.""I don't think I follow yivi exactly." i'Will, trike niylf. for iustatne.I am very f'uti:naie if I pet off with 'n l.ur.d.ed lo!'a:s. Mow mucli does i.? cost you'.'"I can't say definitely, but fully that:!uth.I should jud'-,e.""upt se. ilieu, we tak'- our families:i.!o i he scheuie wi'li us and auree to: pi. lei only $.",0 for ourselvi-s. ThenWi- can speiid $.'" ach for a number of wor.hy o'n fan:ilie. whoare ur.ab'.e to p;oi(ie for theniselveg,oM of the ordinary, et too proud orhi:ve luo unit Ii seifTespect to availthemselves of the plllilie hniiliei ontha. day. In that way we would beJ'.':. nhe;.d, and at the Jtime time bealii - to linuiih 10 or 13 families witha turkey and tl-p other necessariesfor a pmd Chiistmas dinner, andsome candies and toys for live children." "Good for you. Will, that suits medown to the greund, and I know mywife will be right In for UV"I'm glad it strikes you so favor-ably,Geoice. Uut If H' a coo4GVW by Underwood Unfcrwood.9thin? for us two. why not push Italonn a little? What's the matterwith getting four or five or a halffln7on e.t lh,t nthui Vw-i v tt I n t A mat OtUUU1 (I A t IJ J 1 0 Ukl.Ul.WUf"Xothing at all. There's Scott and!Corwin and Wilton and Thompsonand Smith, all of 'cm good, wholesouled fellows, and all here in thebuilding. Suppose I 'phoned 'cm tocome up. and we'll talk the matterover. They're all pretty well fixed,too, and I believe will be glad to takea hand.""Just the thins. George. The sooner we take hold and get It under way.the better."Accordingly an urgent message wastelephoned in a half jovial, half mysterious way, to each one mentioned, tocome to James' office at once on Important business. All respondedpromptly, undecided as to whether Itmeant a practical joke or business ofpressing importance.Will called the meeting to orderin a very formal manner and requested George to state Its purpose.Every one seemed to cuter Into thespirit of the object of the meeting, aswell as into the half jovial, half4' h. &r rl. 13, Gft I Mihmm?, y " w1 Xformal, parliamentary manner Inwhich It was coudiictetd, and theywere soon discussing the various suggestions offered with the enthusiasmand abundon of a lot of school boys.While thero was no posing as philanthropists, thtro was a whole-souledspirit of consideration shown for theworthy unfortunate, that gavo thema much deeper Insight into each others' characters and drew them Intocloser bonds of sympathy than woulda car of ordinary Intercourse.It was found that after they hadalt pledged themselves to the fund inaccordance with tha rule laid down,as to ability and i-ercentago of ordinary expenditure, there would besomething over a hundred and fiftydcllnrs available.It being essential to the carryingout of their plan thai their familiesshould lie Interested, a meeting wascalled for a su!. sequent evening atthe reshlpnee "f Mr. Corwin, at whichall were r presented.The ladies und other niembvs ofthe famliii s entered Into l'"? ;.iovemerit with even more enthusiasm thanthe orl';ii;itit s. tiefore the labor wascompleted of Miihlug out the llHt ofthose to he aided and the variousthii.gs to be contributed to each one,s' e:al meeii;m were required. More: iovnn ;it caii.e from these meetings,f.siee over, than if the money exP"tided had b -n for gKia for themreives. T!ie in rania' ion was kep! si eretfrom 11, e public, but at the hoinhin-;Hiij-'i'stion of Mr. Scott, djoptcd thomum-: "The Associuicd Santa Clans."With each bucket, delivered late onChrist mas eve, at th; door of varioushomi s. was an envi lope addressed tothe recipient, containing a postal directed to "The Assocntcd SantaClans." Itox CIO. City; requesting thatthe receipt of the bask t be acknowledged, so that. It might be knownthat it had not pone astray.It Is not the province of this storyto Ii II of the joy of ihe little childrenia these. UO or 10 homes, over the reie!pt of some cherished toy and theever welcome candy and nuts, or ofthe heart felt gratitude of the parents.that, for that one day of all others,!their families had bei n permitted to jpartake of the comfort and luxury of !a well filled table.At the final meeting of the year,held the night after Christmas, atwhich the acknowledgments wereread to the association, more than onewoman's eyes were brimming withtears, and morn than one man hada lump in his throat that was difficultto swallow, as he listened to theburning words of gratitude, for thejoy that had been brought to theirhomes. Some were expressed In un-nnnlh a-wl ennia In Ilia ninO riflnml !language, but all bore the impress ofsincerity.There was not a dissenting voice,when Mr. Wilson presented the following resolution:Resolved, That the Christmas justpassed has been the happiest one ofour lives, and that we continue, as apermanent organization. "The Associated Santa Claus." Ohio Magazine.Christmas Superstitions.Jhere are many Christmas superstitions long held as articles of faiththat are to be recalled, says CountryLife. How that oxen kneel In theirstalls at midnight on Christmas eve,in adoration of the Nativity, and forone hour have the power of speechfor that one hour, ton. the lost spiritshave rest. Judas sleeps. Herod ceasesto clank his chains, the daughter ofHerodias may pause in the dance, inwhich she is condemned to spin forever, and Filate's ghost ceases itswanderings on Mount Pilatus. It wasbelieved, too, that the sound of churchbells could be heard wherever achurch had stood, though no trace remained, and that, on that pregnantnight, one sleeping in a manger wouldsec his future in a vision.masg? BDmessi ,i't;f -a:JfW IfPerhaps at no time in the past hasthere been greater diversity In stylesand In materials worn at various functions. Skirts are trailing, of the shortwalking length, or just escape thefloor; they are empire, princess, gloveor loosely fitting princess, with nosuggestion of the empire, or they showthe Louis coats with trailing skirts,or elaborate coats and skirts, or theseverest of the tailored variety of thelatter combination.Velvet is especially smart In gownsand In coats, whether tight or loose.Hats as a rule are prettier thanever, but some extraordinary effectsare seen.Although fur is nc'V so much usedas a trimming for evening gowns andevening mantles, I am of the opinion that the latter garments are mosteffective and distinguished when madeon very simple lines and left practically untrlmmed. Of course, everything depends on the dress with whichthe mantle Is to be worn; If that beexceedingly elaborate the mantle orwrap can afford to be simple, and viceversa. Now that our evening cloaksare always made to accompany somespecial gown we find them in manydifferent materials and styles. Perhaps the graceful burnous is about themost satisfactory and becoming shape.The burnous wrap looks best whenmade of soft cashmere and lined withliberty satin or of supple satin, andlined with a heavy make of crepe dechine. Beautiful embroideries are arranged on the fronts and hoods of thecloaks of this genre.The reign of the three-quarterlength tailor-made coat has commenced brilliantly, and now this delightful garment is almost unbiqultous. And all the best of the newtailor-made coats show rounded fronts.In many cases the back Is longerthan tho front; the sleeves reach almost to the elbow and are semi-Japanesein outline.The white shirt waist can well beeschewed for the time being and ashirt of crepe de chine to match thecloth coat and skirt costume substituted instead. A dark blue serge skirtand coat would be most effectivelycompleted with a dark blue crepo dechine shirt, made with broad tucksand spotted with white cotton. Whitefrills at the wrists and down tho center of the front, and outlining the collar-band,will, if made of very narrow and finely hemstitched lawn, givethe finishing touch Justly recognizedns distinguishing between the blouseof yesterday and that of to-day.Perhaps the height of magnificenceIn dress Is reached In the eveninggowns. Embroidery appears on everyfrock, be it Greek or Louis XVI. ThereIs a great craze for what Is knownas Egyptian embroidery copies ofold Egyptian conventional designs.The Greek keynote pattern is alwayseffective in rich fabrics.I should say most of the eveningdresses have sleeves, and although ithas been observed thst there is verylittle bodice worn in Paris just now,there is a good bit of drapery In thesleeve. The bodice is cut very lowback and front, for -the most parts(uar-. and filled In with pieces ofheavy embroidery, lace and tulle, andthe sleeve, as 1 have said, is a massof drapery, often covering the elbowbut leaving the arm bare at tlu topor veiled with a transparency. Thisdraped sleeve Is a pretty fashion,though crhaps r.ot strictly classical.Tho two frocks Illustrated In ourj large picture arc simple but elegant inI design. The first has a distinct LouisXV. flavor. It is made In apricot yellow satin shot with pink, while thedraped fichu and center panel beneath are of gold filet lace, embroidered in raised chenille with groupsof autumn-tinted leaveB.The bodice points down the centerIn the front, and is cut short on thehips, and the little under-sleeves,which the drawing scarcely shows, areof very fine net.Dedicated to the use of the younggirl is figure No. 2, and it is made ofwhite satin with little pleatings oftulle peeping beneath broad bands ofCharming Afternoon Frock.satin, which are held together hy8t rings of pearls, the skirt trimmedwith the same decoration. Thewhole Idea Is expressive of youth, sini-.pllcity, and perhaps Just a little indicative of an expensive tnste. Notthat, when I come to think of it, thopurchase of a satin evening dressshould be termed expensive, for expenses to-day lie as much In the making as In the material, and undoubtedly it may be granted that a satindress will outlive two chiffon dresses.And chiffon nowadays insists uponembroidery as well as a lining of chiffon, while net, which Is considered aprivilege for the thrifty, win callaloud for a decoration of ribbons, andagain demands a lining of chiffon andand underlining of soft satin, so, to boreally just, the diaphanuus gown, although it assumes the virtue of ecunomj, hao it not. We may, though, except from tho rulo the frock of niiion, which cau be made extremely atrtractive on a slight figuie when it istrimmed with large tucks, or ribbons,and allowed to display some daintychemisette of tull or lace threadedwith rlbbous.